Draw fouls Like James Harden

James Harden has emerged as one of the most dominant basketball players in the NBA today. He is the reigning MVP of the league. His ability to create shots it second to none and demands the heaviest attention of his defender. What makes him so great of a scorer comes from his ability to create shots, shoot well, and also variety of moves to finish shots near the basket. But it is his ability to force opponents to foul him that separates him from other scorers on the difficulty chart.

People hate the tactic of drawing fouls. And I mean HATE! But it is a genius strategy to not only earn points for your team, but to also get you opposing defender in foul trouble. There isn’t anyone, without a question, who is better at drawing the foul! In fact, he has led the league in free throw shooting in the past 4 years. It’s also stunning to not that James Harden is only a point guard. You would think that a big man playing down low in the paint would be the one drawing the most hacks.

How does James Harden draw fouls?

Defenders, at this point in Hardens career, understand that Harden is a technician at creating fouls. They try their best to stay clear of James Harden. But even when they do everything in their power right, Harden is still able to manipulate the defender to get the foul that he wants.

The Armbar- Harden will make a quick move to get the slightest separation. As the a defender reaches in, he will actually grab a hold of the foreign arm and keep it locked tight as he shoots and falls to the floor, prompting a foul call

Pick and Troll- During a pick and roll, defenders easily recognize the situation and prepare for action. The defenders usually try to over play the pick and hurry over the man setting the pick to maintain a good defensive position. But what Harden does is first use the pick, then wait for his defender to over play the pick. Harden then slides into the opposite direction as the defender, allowing a collision to happen as he put up a shot simultaneously and drawing a foul call.

The Leg kick/ Flop - This a classic Harden move! Simply, when a defender closes on while he is shooting a shot, Harden will kick is leg out and fall to the ground. With any shot he takes, he will flop and exaggerate the effect of the contact created on order to draw a fouls.

Add these tactics to your game and increase respect from the defense and increase you chances for fouls and ultimately more points.

Please to not over exaggerate or use this tactic too much or it will not be as efficient and will also be looked at as a “dirty,” unethical player. So don’t abuse the power! This tactic is great for crunch time play, as it is an easy way to get the one or two points that can win your team the game or to foul out your opponent who may be in foul trouble.